Empathy, Hope, and Love BY: Date: December 17, 2009

Hope: Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. “We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes.” - John F. Kennedy “He who does not hope to win has already lost.” - Jose Joaquin Olmedo “They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world. Someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” - Tom Bodett “Hope is one of those things in life you cannot do without.” - LeRoy Douglas “The important thing is not that we can live on hope alone, but that life is not worth living without it.” - Harvey Milk “Refusal to hope is nothing more than a decision to die.” - Bernie S. Siegel

My plan for implementing hope in my life: I started implementing hope in my life when I went back to college after my husband left me. When he first left, I was totally destroyed. I had nothing but fear and sadness In my life. I felt that there was nothing left for me. Olmedo’s quote described me exactly as I Felt that I had lost everything. There was no place for hope in my life. I was defeated. But Since I had children I had to get myself up everyday and take care of them even though I was Not taking care of myself. I was dead inside. I finally sat myself down and decided that I Would not let my husband win. As Bodett says ““They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world. Someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” I had my children to love but I needed something to do and something to Hope for. I found my interest in Psychology and signed up for school to give me Something to do. And now I hope everyday to be able to complete all my classes and Graduate with a degree in Psychology.

“There's a lot of talk in this country about the federal deficit. But I think we should talk more about our empathy deficit - the ability to put ourselves in someone else's shoes; to see the world through those who are different from us - the child who's hungry, the laid-off steelworker, the immigrant woman cleaning your dorm room. As you go on in life, cultivating this quality of empathy will become harder, not easier. There's no community service requirement in the real world; no one forcing you to care. You'll be free to live in neighborhoods with people who are exactly like yourself, and send your kids to the same schools, and narrow your concerns to what's going in your own little circle. Not only that - we live in a culture that discourages empathy. A culture that too often tells us our principle goal in life is to be rich, thin, young, famous, safe, and entertained. A culture where those in power too often encourage these selfish impulses. They will tell you that the Americans who sleep in the streets and beg for food got there because they're all lazy or weak of spirit. That the inner-city children who are trapped in dilapidated schools can't learn and won't learn and so we should just give up on them entirely. That the innocent people being slaughtered and expelled from their homes half a world aware somebody else's problem to take care of. I hope you don't listen to this. I hope you choose to broaden, and not contract, your ambit of concern.”-Barack Obama To show empathy is to identify with another's feelings. It is to emotionally put yourself in the place of another. The ability to empathize is directly dependent on your ability to feel your own feelings and identify them. Empathy:

My plan for implementing empathy in my life: I have already starting implementing empathy in my life. This class made me realize that bad things can happen to good people. I no longer look at homeless people living on the street and just assume they are terrible, worthless people. I now know that many of them are good people who have just fell into some rotten luck. I have collected blankets, pillows, and toiletries and distributed them to homeless people. I took my children with me to give the things out. Not only did I empathize with these people, I obtained happiness from these people as I watched their faces light up with joy from the supplies I brought to them! I also spoke to them and learned many of their stories. Many of us could end up homeless a lot easier than we may think. If you lose your job, miss a few mortgage payments, and have unexpected medical bills you could end up living on the street too.

Love: Love is any of a number of emotions related to a sense of strong affection and attachment. The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure to intense interpersonal attraction. There is also the protective love that a mother feels for her child. Love is a strange feeling that can be one of the most amazing in all the world. Sometimes the emotions associated with love are blissful, and there are times when they can really hurt. In the end, love is something most of us will encounter. “If you have love in your life it can make up for a great many things you lack. If you don't have it, no matter what else there is, it's not enough.” -Ann Landers “One of the hardest things in life is watching the person you love, love someone else.” -Unknown “It takes a minute to have a crush on someone, an hour to like someone and a day to love someone - but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.” -Unknown “The one who loves you will make you weep.” -Argentine Proverb

My plan for implementing love in my life: As you can see I left the topic of love for last. I love my children with all of my heart but when it comes to loving a man again I get scared. How does one go back out into the world of dating after being married, having kids, and then having her husband leave her? I feel that this will be the hardest thing to implement in my life but I know that I really need to love again. I know the absolute joy that comes with loving A man both emotionally and physically. I really do hope to find that perfect love that will last forever. I know I am still bitter about my past love life but after Taking this class and learning so much, I am dedicated to finding my true love. I have joined and I have let my friends know that I am ready to start datingwww.match.com again. I believe in myself now and I think that others will too.

Empathy. (n.d.). Retrieved from Obama, B. (2006, June 16). Northwestern university commencement address. Retrieved from -Address-Obama-Speech.htm Famous quotes and authors. (2009). Retrieved from Love quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved from Reference Page